The men's World 800m silver medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi has said he is not under the pump to shatter the world record over the distance.
In an exclusive interview, the youthful two-lap sensation, however, said he will be going full throttle for a masterstroke performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics later this year
“My aim this year is to run 1:41. I've met a lot of people who have encouraged me to aim for the world record but I always tell them I'm not in a hurry to achieve such a feat and it will naturally come when the time is ripe," Wanyonyi remarked.
"I'm still very young with many more years ahead of me,” he added.
Wanyonyi said he will look to better his personal best and world-leading time of 1:42.80, which he set on his way to storming the men's 800m title at the Diamond League Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field on September 17, last year.
The 19-year-old's time also erased the meet record of 1:43.63 set in 2014 by Nigel Amos of Botswana. Wanyonyi revealed that his Canadian nemesis Marco Arop has always served as his main inspiration in the two-lap race.
“I savour competing against Arop, a good friend of mine. The intense competition between us has always pushed me beyond and above. I'm expecting him to give me a tough competition in Paris and that's precisely what gets me working extra hard in training," Wanyonyi stated.
The two arch-rivals faced off in Budapest, where Wanyonyi played second fiddle to Arop who blazed to the title in a stunning 1:44.24 — 29 seconds ahead of the Kenyan.
"At the Diamond League final in Eugene in September, I was elated to beat him after posting a world-leading PB of 1:42.80," Wanyonyi stated.
Arop set a Canadian record of 1:42.85 to emerge second in the race. Wanyonyi has now vowed to burn the midnight oil in a determined zeal to turn the tables on Arop once again this season.
He reckons he can build upon the wealth of experience he gathered last season when he put up a stellar performance to win the Diamond League season after masterclass acts in Rabat and Paris where he set a world-leading PB of 1:43.27.
He also comprised the Kenyan gold-medal-winning contingent at the World Cross Country Championships in February last year.
The fifth born of 11 siblings began honing his skills during his formative years in school, where he asserted unmatched authority to claim the podium across a wide array of track disciplines right up from the 400m event to the 5,000m at the zonal, county, and national levels.